“I know she would want me to keep going, keep smiling and keep sharing the love she gave so freely with others,” Freida wrote of the late country music star, who died on Aug. 25

NEED TO KNOW

• Dolly Parton’s sister Freida Parton shared a touching tribute to the late country legend following her death at age 80
• “I know she would want me to keep going, keep smiling and keep sharing the love she gave so freely with others,” Freida wrote of her “big sister”

• Dolly, who was one of 12 siblings, was candid throughout her career about sharing a close bond with her family

Dolly Parton‘s sister Freida Parton is opening up about the country music icon’s death.

Freida, 69, shared a touching tribute to her “big sister” on Saturday, Aug. 29, four days after the “Jolene” singer’s death at age 80 following what her team confirmed to PEOPLE was a “brief battle with cancer.”

In the tribute, which she shared on Facebook, Freida thanked her followers for “bearing with me as I mourn the death of my big sister.”

“I know to the entire world, she was a superstar, but to me, she was my Dolly Momma,” she began her lengthy post. “She was the sister who would climb into bed with me when I was little because we were both afraid of the dark. She was the woman who stepped up and became my Momma, raising me from ages 13 to 18. She was the one who tried to convince me to wear her wigs at my shows in Dollywood (sorry, sister, but I definitely didn’t listen to you on that one).”

Freida wrote that “like all sisters, we definitely had our share of arguments and disagreements throughout the years, but even through all the highs and lows, and all the laughter and tears, I never stopped loving her.”

“I asked you all months ago to pray for Dolly, but now I’m going to ask you to please pray for me and my entire family as we navigate this insurmountable loss,” she continued. “There will never be anyone who can replace her in our hearts, and I know she holds a special place in many of yours as well.”

“I know she would want me to keep going, keep smiling and keep sharing the love she gave so freely with others. That is what I’m going to try to do, even on the days when it feels impossible,” Freida wrote. “I’m working on something very special for all of you in her honor. It’s my way of keeping a little piece of my Dolly Momma with me, while sharing her with all of you who loved her, too.”

“Thank you for loving her, for praying for her, and now, for loving and praying for all of us,” she added.

Dolly was one of 12 children born in Tennessee to Robert Lee Parton and his wife, Avie Lee Parton. She was born in the middle of the pack, and joined Willadeene, 86, David, who died in 2024 at age 82, Coy, who died in July at age 82, Bobby, 78, Stella, 77, Cassie, 75, Randy, who died in 2021 at age 67, Larry, who died as a baby in 1955, twins Freida, 69, and Floyd, who died in 2018 at age 61, and Rachel, 66.

Last October, Freida drew attention when she asked for prayers for her older sister after Dolly postponed her Las Vegas residency due to unspecified health struggles.

“I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been led to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me,” she wrote at the time, though she later clarified that she “didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.”

Dolly was candid about being close with her family throughout her life, and in the wake of her death, the Parton family has been honoring the country star with tributes and even musical performances.

Freida’s daughter, Jada Star, led a musical tribute show to her aunt at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville last week with a rendition of “The Orchard,” which the pair had previously performed for Dolly’s collaborative family album, 2024’s Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables.

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In June 2026, Dolly’s sister Stella spoke to PEOPLE about the pain of losing her brothers David, Randy and Floyd.

“Growing up with so many siblings, we were very emotionally connected, and still are in a real emotional way. It’s a soul connection,” she said. “So this whole thing was kind of like emotional paralysis for me in a strange sort of way. Grief has really been a writer’s block for me.”

Stella — who channeled her grief into a cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” — said she was particularly close to Floyd, who considered her a “second mom.” When she lost her brothers over the span of just a few years, the blow was “painful and sobering.”

“Losing your parents is one thing… but that’s the natural progression of life. You accept and embrace that change from having parents to being an orphan,” she said. “But you don’t accept that as easily with a sibling. Siblings are closer than anyone, really, because you’ve had them with you your whole life. I didn’t realize it would be such a painful experience.”

Meanwhile, Stella also spoke about her special bond with Dolly, saying at the time that she and the 9 to 5 star — who often spoke on the phone early in the morning for what they called their kaffeeklatsch — liked to stick by a Parton family rule to get through tough times.

“We just have to laugh and laugh at ourselves as much as we laugh at everybody else, because if you take it too serious, you can’t carry the load… I think that is a family trait,” she said. “[Dolly’s] very philosophical about everything as well, so we’re good. And if all else fails, we make a joke about it.”

Dolly also collaborated with her sister Rachel Parton George. In 2024, the pair teamed up on the cookbook Good Lookin’ Cookin’.

“When we were growing up, it was a must that we all kind of be around the table after Daddy got home from work,” Dolly told PEOPLE at the time. “It was just a thing that we had in our house to sit around the table and talk, and eat with a mouthful.”

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